Hitching-post.



PATENTED MAR. s, 1904.

T. J. FOX.

HITOHING POST.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 11,1903.

H0 MODEL.

the apparatus in operative position.

UNITED STATES Patented March 8, 1904.

THOMAS JACKSON FOX, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

HlTCHlNG-POS T SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 753,971, dated March 8, I904.

Application filed December.11,l903. Serial No- 184,729. (No model.)

1'0 all w/wm it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS J ACKSON Fox, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hitching-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hitching-posts arranged to be lifted vertically to the desired height when they are to be used and dropped, moving longitudinally, out of the way when not wanted.

The object is provide such a post that shall be strong, light, convenient, inexpensive, and not likely to get out of order through rough usage and exposure to the weather.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing Fig. 2 is. a plan view of the same devices. Fig. 3 shows a certain pawl detached from the other devices.

The body of the post is shown as a straight bar A, which may be of steel and which is preferably T-form in cross-section. This bar is arranged to slide in a tube B and in a suitable passage through a large base-plate C, to which the tube is rigidly but detachably secured by bolts D, working in the plate and engaging lugs E upon a heavy collar F,'fixed to the upper part of the tube. At its upper end the bar bears a ring or link and two rings G, adapting it for securing more than one horse at the same time. The bar itself fits the tube loosely and at its lower end bears an impactplate H, serving to meet a certain buffer hereinafter mentioned and also to prevent the bar from being lifted too far or from being drawn upwardly out of the way in which it slides. The main flange of the bar has near its lower end notches, one of which will be engaged by a pawl I, pivoted at J and normally urged toward engaging position by the weight of. its heavy forked inner end I, which embraces the main web of the bar below the base-plate. The engaged notch is slightly above the pivot and the engaging face of the pawl is approximately an are having the pivot as a center, so that it may be disengaged without lifting the post. Such disengagement may be caused by pressure of the foot upon the outer end I of the pawl, leaving the bar free to fall. the pawl is in engagement, the weightlof the post causes the pawl to press it over with the force of a toggle-bar, thereby holding the post rigidly. Upon the lower end of the tube is screwed a cap K, having in its bottom and at its angles perforations L, and upon the bottom of the cup rests a heavy rubber block or buffer M, which is downwardly concave and provided below with marginal grooves N. When the bar or post A is released and permitted to fall, this buffer not only cushions the When blow and saves noise, but springs downward,

forcing the air beneath it suddenly out through the apertures, and thus blowing out any foreign matters that may have lodged in the cup. The length of the tube is such that when the bar is at its lowest point the rings are slightly above the base-plate, and hence the buffer bears the full force of the posts momentum. The disk member on the lower end of the bar prevents the latter from being lifted out of the way in which it slides. The T-bar and tube are commercial forms of steel, strong and inexpensive, and the other parts are few and readily formed and assembled.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a base-plate provided with a vertical way, of a post sliding in that way and provided with marginal notches, and a pivoted pawl normally tending toward notch-engaging position and projecting above the base-plate in position to be rotated out of engaging position by downward pressure of the foot.

2. The combination with a base-plate provided with a non-cylindrical vertical way, of a post fitting and sliding in said way and provided with suitable marginal notches, a pivoted pawl tending to engage said notches and operable by downward pressure of the foot to release the engagement, and a tube extending downward from the base-plate in position to receive the downwardly-sliding post.

3. The combination with a suitably-perforated base-plate and a vertical tube detachably secured to the lower side of the baseplate in line with the perforation, of a post sliding in said perforation and tube, and a pawl projecting above the base-plate, adapted to engage the post to prevent its descent and arranged to release the post whenpressed down by the foot.

4. The combination with a suitably-perforated base-plate and a tube extending downward from the base-plate in line with the perforation, of a flanged post sliding in said perforation and tube, and a centrally-pivoted pawl having its inner end overweighted to throw it to post-engaging position and its outer end projecting above the plate to receive downward post-releasing pressure from the foot.

5. The combination with the base-plate having a Vertical way, of the flanged post sliding in the way and having one flange marginally notched, the centrallypivoted pawl adapted to engage the notched flange and having the weighted and bifurcated inner end and the outer end projecting above the base-plate, and the tube detachably secured to the lower side of the base-plate in position to receive and protect the downwardly-sliding post.

6. The combination with a base-plate having a suitable vertical way and a downwardlyclosed tube forming a continuation of said way, of a T-bar sliding in said way and provided with rings above and an impact-plate at its lower end, and a rubber block placed in the lower end of the tube to receive the impact of the falling bar.

7 The combination with the base-plate having the vertical way and the tube forming a continuation of said way, of the perforated cap closing the lower end of the tube, the T- bar sliding in said way, the downwardly-concave buffer in the cup, and the gravity-pawl released by the foot and normally urged toward engagement with thebar.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS JACKSON FOX.

Witnesses:

N. W. SrEERs, Jr., P. G. PRICE. 

